Home
by MadCatta
Summary: Sometimes, when Scott gets his nightmares, it's a mother's touch he needs.


**Yo. I missed PO5 so I'm diving back in with Scott angst. **

**I ignore that Scott died. Basically there was no ten years jump and the Five are living happily ever after very close to the McGuires who adopted Danny's friend Billy from Silent Creek and also Scott and Jamie!**

**…Sue me, that's my happy ending for them.**

* * *

He flails in the worst of his nightmares. That's what rouses Alicia from her sleep – she's got Mommy ears, the slightest noise of distress gets her up and needing to check on her boys. She doesn't often have to check on the twins, but Jamie's spending the night away with 'a friend'. She's pretty sure the friend is female and possibly a romantic interest, but the boy is sixteen and not her son and is used to his independence.

Besides, he's saved the world. Jamie's allowed to have sex with a 'friend' of his.

Scott, though, has his own problems. Alicia watches his young face contorted in pain, the sad animalistic whimpers. She's afraid to wake him up, but can't let Scott suffer like this. She sits on the edge of his bed and rests a hand on his shoulder, which works like she's dumped ice water over his head. Scott sits bolt upright, face wet with tears and sweat, a manic expression on his face.

"It's okay, it's only me," Alicia soothes, stroking a hand over his shoulder.

"No!" Scott pulls away from her, curling himself up with his back pressed against the wall like he's trying to become part of it. "Go away!" he yelps, eyes wild.

Alicia's mind goes very very calm, and she feels herself smoothly rising and walking with steady steps to the bedroom door, and then Scott's voice curses in her head and _Stop._

She stops. Slowly, the control is released and she's able to turn back to Scott, whose face is screwed up and he's shaking.

"I didn't –" he shudders. "Go. Please, before I…"

Alicia doesn't want to know what he could do, what he's tempted to do but she does know she can't leave him in this state. She doesn't want to.

"I'm going to stand right here, is this okay, Scott?"

Scott buries his head in his arms, breathing loud, ragged breaths. She wonders if Danny and Billy have heard them, and damn well hopes they're both still asleep. "Scott-"

"No… I don't want to…" he whispers.

He's confused, somewhere in between his torture and the house they're in now. Alicia struggles to ground him. "Feel the blankets, Scott. Look at them. You and Jamie picked them out, remember? We all went on that shopping trip, stopped and got some icecream."

Scott's pinching his arms, which gives Alicia an idea. "Scott, I'm going to come back shortly, okay? I'm just going for a minute but I'll be back for you. Is that okay?"

He's unresponsive so Alicia leaves the room anyway, trudging downstairs in her dressing gown and slippers and pulls out a few ice cubes and puts them in a bowl. She brings them back upstairs, slowly, as not to make the floorboards creak any more than they have to.

"It's only me, it's Alicia," she says quietly, as she re-enters the twins' room.

Alicia approaches Scott slowly and calmly, sitting right at the end of his bed, as far from Scott as she can be. "I've got some ice here. I think it might help."

When Scott doesn't move, Alicia leans forward with an ice cube in her hand and reaches out for Scott's arm. He jumps when the ice cube makes contact with his forearm but that's it, so she runs it down and tries to get him to take it in his hand.

He does, squeezing it with all his might, water dripping from his hand. Alicia feeds ice cubes into Scott's hands until they're all gone and his sheets are wet, but his breathing has calmed down.

"It's June 28th, 2014. You're home, with me, Danny and Billy. Jamie's staying with a friend tonight." Alicia reaches out a hand to stroke Scott's arm. He doesn't recoil.

"Today, you went to school and we had spaghetti for dinner, and you and the boys played on the xbox for a couple of hours afterwards. Tomorrow, I think you and Jamie, and Pedro, Matt and Scarlett are going to the movies with some other friends, if you can all make it. You're gonna take the bus, because you're all far too independent for adults."

Scott's nodding, ever so lightly, so Alicia continues. "Last year, you saved the world. It was incredible. Last year, you moved to England with us all."

"Where's Jamie?" Scott asks to his feet, very quietly.

"He's with his friend. I forget her name… she's got a nose piercing, I think he's sweet on her." Alicia's steadily been moving up the bed and now she's close enough to nudge him lightly with an elbow.

"He is," murmurs Scott.

"How are you feeling?"

Finally, Scott looks up at her, with red-rimmed eyes. "Will you let me sleep?" he asks, timid.

"Of course," Alicia replies, alarmed. "You can sleep whenever."

"Oh…"

And like that, he's waning already. She strokes his hair and kisses his head, and Scott lets her.

"Where am I?" he mumbles, his head lolling to one side.

"Home, Scott." She puts an arm over his shoulder. "You're home."


End file.
